The New Testament Story

‘Helping you find your way from Matthew to Revelation’

Regular Baptist Press

Unit 3  ‘Christ’s Church: Her Doctrine

Session 8  The Church’s Doctrine ‘Correction’

PP Overview  

·    This session is a study of Paul’s epistles to the Corinthians and Galatians. It deals with problems and how to correct them.

PP  Theme

·    No church is perfect because local churches are made up of imperfect people. If a church is to experience God’s blessings it must deal with sinful actions and unbiblical beliefs.

PP Aims

By the end of this class, you will be able to:

 1. Summarize the problems the early church faced

 2. Summarize Paul’s teaching on handling church problems

 3. Examine your life as a potential source of or resource for church problems

 4. Commit to God’s way of handling church problems

Introduction

Question: What are some common problems that are sometimes present in a local Bible-believing church?

·    Discord, controversy over music and worship style, money, methodology of ministry, personality clashes, doctrinal differences

Question: What are some common reasons for these problems?

·    Lack of knowledge, spirituality, misunderstanding, lack of leadership, cultural differences, prior learning

Question: What effect do problems in the church have on the church?

·    Disunity, loss of testimony, misuse of resources, hurt feelings, splits

PP Key Verse  ‘But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.’ (1 Co 14:40)

This text sets the general standard for all behavior in the local church.

PP Background

The NT churches were not all alike.

·    Some were made up of many godly, mature believers, like those in Ephesus. To them Paul could write a letter dealing with deep spiritual issues.

·    Other churches were united, like Philippi with the exception of a squabble between two women.

·    Still other churches were full of problems. Among them Corinth which was divisive, proud and guilty of the misuse of spiritual gifts.

·    The Galatian church had a problem with false teaching and it quickly turned them away from the true Gospel teaching.

PP I. The Corinthian Church

 PP The city of Corinth and the church at Corinth

 To understand the problems that arose in the Corinthian church we first need to know

 something about the city of Corinth.

Question: What do you know about the City of Corinth?

 PP A. The City of Corinth

 Corinth was a leading city in ancient Greece. It was a wealthy city located between  Acacia and Macedonia and was the 4^th largest in the Roman Empire.

 It was a very cosmopolitan city, multi ethic and there were many languages spoken  there.

 Because of it’s wealth, its inhabitants were often wealthy and materialistic.

 Corinth was known for its immorality…kind of like Amsterdam and Copenhagen’s  red light districts. It had a temple to the goddess of fertility and there were over   1000 prostitutes working at the temple.

 PP B. The Church at Corinth

 Paul went to this city on his 2^nd missionary journey. He stayed with Aquila and Pricilla, a Christian Jewish couple. Like them, he worked there as a tent maker.

 On Sabbath days Paul would go into the synagogues to preach. It wasn’t long before some unbelieving Jews began to oppose his teaching. Paul them moved in  to Titus Justus’ home, he lived next to the synagogue. Paul continued to preach and  the leader of the synagogue Crispus placed his faith in Jesus.

 About 18 months later, the unbelieving Jews started a riot and blamed it on Paul.   Paul was taken to the Roman governor who dismissed the case as being a religious issue not an political one.

PP II. The First Letter to the Corinthians

 PP A. The Circumstances

 Unfavorable news had come to Paul concerning the Corinthian church. Members  of the house of Chloe (1 Cor 1:11) and other friends had come to Ephesus and    brought news of evil practices in the church of Corinth.

 Also, the church in Corinth had sent Paul a letter asking his advice on a few church  matters/problems. So Paul wrote them a letter.

 PP B. The Problems

 The church in Corinth had a lot of problems.

  PP 1. Disunity (1 Cor. 1:10-4:21)

  This church was divided into 4 different groups and they all claimed   to follow a different teacher: Paul, Apollos, Peter and Christ.

Question: How can this manifest itself in the local church today?

  Paul condemned all 4 groups and said they were carnal (living sinfully as Christians)

  PP 2. Immorality (1 Cor. 5)

  It seems a man in the church was living in sin with his stepmother. This action even shocked the unbelievers in the town.

Question: How can this manifest itself in the local church today?

  Paul told the church to put the man out of the church.

  PP 3. Lawsuits (1 Cor. 6:1-11)

  Christians in the Corinthian church were taking each other to court to   be judged by unbelievers.

Question: How can this manifest itself in the local church today?

  Paul told them to handle the matters inside the church, not outside.

  PP 4. Prejudice (1 Cor. 11)

  It seems the rich were eating at the Lord’s Supper and not giving  anything to those who were poor. Some of the rich were gluttons  while others were drunks.

Question: How can this manifest itself in the local church today?

  Paul reminded them of the cost of not recognizing the Body of Christ when they gather…they are all the body together. They must share   and wait till all are present before eating.

  PP 5. Sensationalism (1 Cor. 12-14)

  There was a gross misuse of spiritual gifts in the church. They turned   the worship service into a madhouse of confusion and conflicting messages.

Question: How can this manifest itself in the local church today?

  Paul gave guidelines for worship (Ch 14) and the use of gifts

  (chs 12-14)

Question: How common are these problems in the church today?

·    Very common and so the answers that Paul gives will help us today too.

 PP C. Doctrine

 Paul also wrote about some pressing doctrinal matters.

  PP 1. The Resurrection (1 Cor. 15)

  The resurrection of Jesus was a historical fact authenticated by   hundreds of people, not all were Christians.

Question: What is so important about the resurrection of Jesus?

  The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the basis for our promise of eternity in heaven.

  PP 2. Stewardship (1 Cor. 16)

  Paul teaches on the importance of giving financially to the Lord’s  work in the local church. Every believer has an obligation to give.

Question: What is the scope of our giving?

·    Local church, missionaries, para church organizations

PP III. The Second Letter to the Corinthians

 PP A. The Circumstances

 After writing 1 Corinthians Paul waited for a response from the church in Corinth.  He was concerned that his letter was too harsh and that the sin in the Corinthian    church had gone too far, so he sent Titus to Corinth to see how the people had    responded to his first letter.

 Paul met Titus in Macedonia where Titus gave him a favorable report concerning  the Corinthian church. Except for a new group that had begun in the church that   was working to undermine Paul’s claim to be an apostle. Paul was forced to  present his credentials to destroy the false charges against him.

 PP B. Paul’s Authority

 Paul begins 2 Corinthians with an authoritative note ‘Paul, an apostle of Jesus  Christ by the will of God’ (2 Cor. 1:1)

 In 2 Cor. 3:1-3 Paul stated that the Corinthian believers themselves were a proof of  his credentials.

 In Ch 11-12 Paul stated that his sufferings, visions and revelations were proofs of   his apostleship.

 His unselfish love for the Corinthian Christians was a further proof of his   apostleship.

 PP C. The Treatment of the Offender

 The church in Corinth had removed the man living with his stepmother from the    church and later he repented. Here Paul urges the church to take him back. He was  to be forgiven and restored to fellowship.

Question: Does this happen?

   What usually happens when the church disciplines someone in he church?

 PP D. Paul’s Biography

 Being an apostle was not easy…he was often troubled, perplexed and persecuted   but he never gave up. (2 Cor. 4:1-15)

 His hope was in the Judgment Seat of Christ where rewards would be given to those faithful in service to God. (2 Cor. 5)

Question: Rewards, yes. But what do we do with the rewards when we get them? (Rev. 4:10)

Question: So what does this tell us about serving for the purpose of seeking rewards in heaven?

 PP E. Christian Giving

 He gave two examples of giving/stewardship

  PP 1. Macedonia (2 Cor. 8:1-5) who gave a lot even though they were poor.

  PP 2. Christ (2 Cor. 8:9) Even though Jesus was rich, he left the riches of heaven to live a life of poverty to save our souls form death.

 Paul stated that giving to the work of God should be free, spontaneous and joyful.  (2 Cor. 9:7)

 Bountiful sowing will yield bountiful reaping. We can not out give God.

Question: The more you give the more you will be blessed, the more you reap the more you    will sow, God will return to you 100 fold…what does this mean?

PP IV. The Churches of Galatia

 The churches in Galatia had different problems and Paul wrote them a letter too.

 PP A. The History of the Galatians

 Originally the Galatians were from France. In 25BC it because a province of the    Roman Empire.

 PP B. The Churches of Galatia

 When Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians, he was not writing to just one church.   Since Galatia was a province, not a city, there was more then one church.

 Paul visited Galatia on all 3 of his journeys. He planted churches in the Galatian    cities of Iconium, Lystra and Derbe (Acts 14; 16:6; 18:23)

 PP C. The Galatians

 They were warmhearted and generous, hospitable (Gal. 4:15).

 But they were fickle and easily misled. (Gal. 1:6; 3:1,3)

 They were also inclined to be quarrelsome, quick-tempered and impulsive.

 (Gal 5:15)

PP V. The Letter to the Galatians

 PP Circumstances for and teaching of the letter

 The Judaizers mentioned in Acts 15:1 had not submitted to the judgment of the   Jerusalem council, but rather had continued to spread their false teachings. They  taught that salvation depended upon faith and works. They also taught that the  saved were perfected (made holy) by keeping the law of Moses.

Question: What is the problem with a ‘Faith & Words’ salvation?

 Paul taught the true Gospel of salvation by faith alone so these false teachers tried to weaken peoples trust in Paul and his teachings. They said he was not one the   the original 12 so he was not an apostle.

 Galatians, was written:

  PP To establish Paul’s apostolic ministry

  PP To defend the true Gospel

  PP To expose and condemn this false teaching

  PP To show the true purpose of the Law of Moses

  PP To show that a Christian is perfected by walking in the Spirit

  PP To distinguish between Christian freedom and license to sin

 PP A. Paul’s Defense of his message and apostleship

 Paul was harder on the Galatians for their error in doctrine than he was with the   Corinthians for their error in conduct.

 Paul condemned those who perverted the gospel and by turning away very quickly from the true faith.

 Paul told them that his message was not from man but from divine revelation. His   apostleship did not come from other apostles, but from God.

 (His rebuke of Peter at Antioch showed his independent authority. He was the same rank, so to speak, as Peter.

 PP B. The Contrast between Law and Grace

 Paul said that the Holy Spirit does not come through the Law but through faith  (Gal 3:2).

 The purpose of the Law was to reveal sin and to act as a teacher to lead us to  Christ.  

 PP C. The True Method of Holy Living

 Paul encouraged the Galatian Christians to stand fast in their Christian liberty

 (Gal 5:1-12)

Question: What do I mean when I say ‘Christian Liberty’?

Read: Gal 5:1; 5:13; 1 Cor. 6:12; 10:23

 PP   It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let   yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

 PP   You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge  the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13)

 PP   Everything is permissible for me but not everything is beneficial. Everything is  permissible for me but I will not be mastered by anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12)

 PP   Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible but not everything is constructive. (1 Corinthians 10:23)

 PP   So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at   all in the world and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called   gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all  things came and through whom we live. But not everyone knows this. Some people  are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as  having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not  become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees  you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ  died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I  eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall. (1 Corinthians 8:4-13)

 PP   And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the  weak, be patient with everyone. (1 Thessalonians 5:14)

Question: How do these last two texts fit in with the rest?

·    Those who are a true weaker brother or sister needs to be helped to see the truth because the stronger has knowledge of the truth.

 Paul also talks about Christians not being entangled in rites and ceremonies, which are of no value. True Christian living comes by walking in the Spirit.

 We are to avoid the works of the flesh.

 Our lives should be characterized by the Fruit of the Spirit.

  Fruit of the Spirit:

  PP   Love, Joy, Peace, Long Suffering, gentleness, goodness,   faithfulness, meekness, self-control.

Question: How de we manifest the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’?

·    By walking in the Spirit Gal 5:25, they are a gift of and outpouring by the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

The churches in Corinth and Galatia had problems that Paul did not try to sweep under the rug. Instead he dealt with them head on.